LITHUANIA

Lithuania on map

Country profile

Country name: Lithuania Capital: VilniusPopulation: 3,596,617 (July 2005 est.)Area: 65 300 square km Coastline: 99 km Flag: The colours of the state flag are yellow, green and red.Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic SeaHighest point: Juozapines hill 292 metresEthnic groups: Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%, Belarusian 1.6%, other 2.1%Religion: Roman Catholic.Nationality: Lithuanian(s)Language: Lithuanian, Polish, RussianGovernment type: parliamentary democracy Currency: Litas (LTL) (5 Lt = 1 GBP)

History facts

• First time mentioned in historical documents in 1009• in the 14th-15th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Central

Europe, extending from the Baltic to the Black Sea • Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet

union in 1940 • was the first of all the former Soviet republics to break away from the Soviet

empire and restore its independence in 1990 • Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western

European institutions and joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004

Economy overview

• metal-cutting machine tools

• electric motors

• television sets

• refrigerators and freezers

• petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships)

• furniture making, textiles

• food processing

• optical equipment

• electronic components

• computers

• amber

Main industries

Economy overview

Main partners:

Russia 22%

Germany 16.2%

Poland 5.2%

Italy 4.3%

France 4.2

Import Export

Main partners:

Switzerland 11.6%,

Russia 10.1%,

Germany 9.9%,

Latvia 9.7%,

UK 6.4%,

France 5.1%,

Denmark 4.7%,

Estonia 4.3%,

Sweden 4%

Economy overview

Export

Commodities:

mineral products 23%

textiles and clothing 16%

machinery and equipment 11%

chemicals 6%

wood and wood products 5%

foodstuffs 5%

Commodities:

mineral products 21%

machinery and equipment 17%

transport equipment 11%

chemicals 9%

textiles and clothing 9%

metals 5%

Import

Economy overview

Countries:

Biggest investors

Companies:

Economy overview

IT sector

• Over the last seven years this sector has grown by more than 100 times

Textiles: • Over 80 % of these high

quality products are exported to the EU

• Germany and Great Britain are the biggest investors in this field

Food industry:

• 53 % of Lithuania cheese is exported to the US market

Hi-Tech: • About 60 % of the world

market for picosecond and multicolour lasers is designed and produced in Vilnius

Some interesting figures

Vilnius

VilniusVilnius - the largest administrative centre

Vilnius

• VILNIUS it is the largest city in the country.

• Now population in Vilnius is about 542.287

• Area of Vilnius is 392 square kilometres.

• Buildings cover 20.2 % of the city and the remaining area is prevailed with the greenery (43.9 %) and waters (2.1 %).

Poles19%

Lithuanians57%

Jews1%

Russians14%

Byelorusians4%

other nationalities

5%

VilniusOld Vilnius

• One of the largest in Eastern Europe (360 ha).

• The buildings is a mixture of all European architectural styles

• The Old Town of Vilnius was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

• Vilnius is often called a baroque city, but here you will find some buildings of gothic, renaissance and other styles.

VilniusOld Vilnius

Old TownHigher Castle Museum

Old TownCathedral

Old TownStatues - Grand Duke Gediminas

Old TownSt. Ann churche

VilniusModern Vilnius

VilniusModern Vilnius

…by 2020, Vilnius is set to become the most

modern city in Central and Eastern

Europe and an international centre

for science, culture, business and politics…

 

Kaunas

• Kaunas is the second biggest city in Lithuania with the population of 415,700

• For twenty years Kaunas was a provisional capital of Lithuania

• There are over twenty-four thousand students at the Universities: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas University of Technology, Agricultural University, Kaunas Branch of Vilnius University, as well as Kaunas Medical Academy, Institute of Physical Training, Veterinary Academy, Conservatoire, and Kaunas Branch of the Academy of Arts

Kaunas

Kaunas

Seaside

Seaside

SeasideAmber

TrakaiTown on water

The medieval capital of Lithuania is situated just 30 km from Vilnius and

surrounded by a chain of lakes

National CultureClothes

National CultureFood

Interesting factsHill of Crosses

Interesting factsGruto park (Stalin World)

Interesting factsGeographical centre of Europe

Interesting factsDarius and Girenas flight

Interesting factsKairys flight

Interesting factsFrank Zappa sculpture

Thank YOU